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National Weather Service halts automated translation for alerts

The Washington Post · last updated

The National Weather Service has halted its automated language translation services until further notice, potentially hindering the millions of U.S. residents who speak a language other than English from accessing life-saving information at a time when climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events, experts say.

The pause was “due to a contract lapse” with an artificial intelligence firm providing the translation services, according to a message from the agency this month.